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Hey all,We recently hired a new tech that has previously done a bunch of Home Performance work on the East coast and he has turned me on to a new idea on how to insulate a basement rim joist that is…Continue

"Something is screwy with the site tonight
We use OSB to seal the edges of things like soffits, and extruded styrofoam to seal the tops for energy, We use the foam to cover the backs of kneewalls, and use it to fabricate top and bottom plates…"

"Practically speaking, we seal all holes less than about 2' with foam. 1/2" OSB does the rest. We foam gypsum common wall gaps at framing, gaps between double walls, and most items. Average house will have 3-4 places where…"

"Robert:
This is an interesting and confusing area. Acceptable fIreblock materials are specifically spelled out by the code and then it adds "other approved materials". Dow came out with orange foam in 2004 as the first of these…"

"Fireblocking is much simpler using any of the single part spray foams - even Great Stuff from the big box stores is an approved fireblock material. And my understanding is that for fireblocking, there is no required depth - but there is for…"

"I design and build new balloon-framed two-story homes, densepack the 12" thick double walls, use the air-tight drywall system and get them down to about 2 ACH50. I've had three building inspectors let me use the cellulose as a firestop in…"

"How about this idea that I saw used on mid-floor balloon framed floors; in the basement ceiling, drill a 2-1/2 to 3" hole in each bay adjacent to the foundation, insert a poly bag into the hole leaving the open end of bag down…"

"We do this technique with success. We buy burlap bags for about 80 cents each - the ones I use are 22" wide by 22" deep, just folded and stitched along the sides. If there will be re-finishing to a higher standard in the…"

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